James Scoular (11 January 1925 – 19 March 1998) was a Scottish football player and manager. Known as a tough, combative player with precise passing skills,[ Scoular made over 600 appearances in the Football League with Portsmouth, Newcastle United and Bradford Park Avenue, as a player-manager, and attained nine caps for Scotland in a playing career spanning nearly twenty years.]
Early life
Born in Livingston Station, West Lothian, Scoular's father Alec was also a footballer prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, playing for Alloa Athletic, Stenhousemuir and Leith Athletic. During the Second World War, Scoular became a submarine engineer on HMS Dolphin in Gosport.[
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Playing career
Club
Scoular signed for Portsmouth in 1945 from Gosport Borough as part of the post-war rebuilding undertaken by manager Jack Tinn. He quickly established himself in the first team, forming a wing-half partnership with England international Jimmy Dickinson, impressing many with his tireless stamina and tough tackling, which lead Duncan Edwards to state that Scoular was " the finest tackler of the ball I ever saw"[
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Handed the captaincy on his arrival, he made his debut for Newcastle against arch-rivals Sunderland in a Tyne–Wear derby on 22 August 1953. Two years later, Scoular captained Newcastle to victory in the 1955 FA Cup Final as they beat Manchester City 3–1. He stayed at the club until 1960 when Bradford Park Avenue paid £1,500 for his services, appointing him as player-manager at the age of 35. In his first full year at the club he steered them to promotion into Division Three but was unable to keep the club up and they were relegated back into Division Four in the 1962–63 season. In February 1964, Scoular retired from playing and was sacked as manager at Bradford Park Avenue four months later.[
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International
Scoular made his debut for Scotland on 12 May 1951 in 3–1 win over Denmark. He went on to win a further eight caps over the following year, winning his final cap on 5 November 1952 in a 1–1 draw with Northern Ireland.
Managerial career
One month after his departure from Bradford, Scoular was appointed manager of Second Division side Cardiff City.
After almost achieving promotion in the 1970–71 season, the club's results slowly deteriorated, culminating in a 20th-place finish in 1972–73. With the team still struggling at the start of the following season, Scoular was sacked. He later managed Newport County until 1977 and also worked as a scout for Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Swansea City and Newcastle United.[
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Managerial statistics
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| Cardiff City | Wales | 1 June 1964 | 7 November 1973 | |
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After retirement
Scoular later worked as a representative for a chemical firm before running a guest house in Cardiff. He died on 19 March 1998, aged 73.
Honours
As a player
Portsmouth
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Football League First Division: 1948–49, 1949–50
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FA Charity Shield: 1949 (shared)
Newcastle United
As a manager
Cardiff City
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Welsh Cup: 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973
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